That’s a given for the musicians competing Saturday in the Harry Moore Memorial Solo Piping & Drumming Competition in Riverside.

In its fourth year, the contest for bagpipers and drummers is the centerpiece of a Scottish-heavy celebration that begins early and lasts well into the evening.

“We always have about 50 or 60 solo competitors. What has grown is the amount of entertainment and other things that we offer in addition to the solo competition. As you can imagine, there’s only so many pipers and drummers in the western United States. And the best of them come to Riverside on the weekend to compete,” organizer Mike Terry said.

Complementing the main event are Scottish Highland dancers, event host the UC Riverside Pipe Band, bagpipe and drum demos, vendors, food and a full bar. The UCR Taiko Ensemble will provide a cultural detour with its Japanese percussion demonstration.

Named after the UCR Pipe Band’s first drum sergeant, the Moore competition gives the uninitiated a chance to learn what separates a piobaireachd from a slow air. Judges will assess performers’ proficiency in those styles and others. Pipers will be using the bagpipe of Scotland: the Great Highland bagpipe.

“It’s supposedly one of the harder instruments in the world to play,” Terry said.

Scotland’s version features a bag, blowstick, typically three single-reed drone pipes and a double-reed chanter.

“And it’s not so much the physicality of blowing and squeezing. Everybody kind of makes that look easy. It’s the fingering that’s the most difficult part,” Terry said.

As loud as a bagpipe is, the pop from a pipe band snare drum is louder, he added.

Drummers compete with either snare, tenor or bass drums and are accompanied by pipers.

“The other thing that people will be exposed to is the Highland dress,” Terry said. “If it’s a windy day, they might have some questions answered that everybody wants to know.” (Highland humor, too, perhaps.)

Following the daytime activities is the Kitchen Piping Competition & Pub Party, which starts with Huntington Beach’s Galway Hooker Band. Next is Saturday’s money event: Top pipers get to use all of their tricks to try scoring the $1,000 grand prize.

“People are allowed to basically play whatever kind of music they want to. By design, it’s very free-form. Showmanship counts for a lot. Instead of a highly structured contest where people have to play a march or strathspey or a reel, they’ll string together a whole bunch of fast tunes. They’ll do things like bending notes where you have dynamic note combinations. It’s very avant-garde piping.”